The Wakefield Information Network (IN) is a register of families with children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), aged 0 to 25 years, and practitioners who work with them. The IN is used to send out information about support and services, consultation exercises and a termly newsletter aimed at them.
The IN also includes information used for the Disabled Children’s Register, the Council has a statutory duty to keep and update the register although it is voluntary for people to join it. This register helps the Council and partners with planning what services and support may be needed in the area for children and young people. It will also inform the future needs of adult services across the Wakefield district.
You can join the IN as a parent or carer of a child or young person with SEND or as a practitioner who works with them.
If you are a practitioner, including those who work in schools, health and voluntary organisation, we would need to know your contact details including email and where you work or how you help families with children with SEND.
As a parent or carer, including foster carer or grandparent etc, of a child or children with SEND, we ask you for:
We ask for information about your child so that we understand the needs of disabled children in our area up to and including the age of 25 years old. Information about ethnicity is asked for to help with any anonymous statistics the Council is asked for or must provide and you can choose to tell us you would prefer not to say.
We ask you about how you would like us to address you when we write to you to make sure post is correctly written; some people like to use the title, initial and surname but some people may prefer we use their first name instead.
You can choose to get information from us by email or post. If we can send information to you by email it will reduce costs to produce things like the newsletter as well as postage costs, allowing funds to be used elsewhere. Receiving information by email will also mean you will get it sooner.
When you join the Information Network you can also choose to be given a Max Card, a national discount initiative for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 years. Cards are funded as part of the Information Network by Wakefield Council and are valid for two years.
For more information about Max Cards and what to do if you would like one without joining the Information Network please see Max Cards.
You can download a copy of the application form here or contact the SEND Development Team by telephone on 01924 302410 or email SEND@wakefield.gov.uk and we will send you a copy to complete.
Information Network Application Form - July 2018
Information Network Supplementary Child Application Form - July 2018
Information Network Practitioners Application Form - July 2018
Information Network Transparency Notice - July 2018
Postal applications will need to be returned to SEND Development Team, Room 230 County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield, WF1 2QW.
As part of your application to the IN, you will be asked to let us know how you consent for us to be able to use and share your information. It is important that you read and complete this carefully to help us make sure we only use the information you provide in a way you are happy with.
For example, you will be able to tell us that you only want is to use your child’s information anonymously or you would like to hear about consultation exercises but would prefer not to receive a newsletter or hear about play schemes.
We will contact you again every 2 years to make sure the information we hold is up to date and your consent details are still correct. We will contact you sooner if your child becomes 16 years old during this time as at that point, if they are able to, they will need to complete details about how they consent for us to use their information. If your child is not capable at that point of understanding what they are consenting to, we need you to let us.
You can call the SEND Development Team on 01924 302410 or you can write to us at SEND Development Team, Room 230 County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield, WF1 2QW.
You can also email us at send@wakefield.gov.uk, however sending personal information by email is not classed as secure and we would advise you use one of the other ways to contact us as mentioned above.
Last reviewed: 01/07/2018
